The present invention relates to a comb for binding documents constituted by sheets perforated along one edge.
Conventional plastic combs are currently used to bind documents constituted by sheets perforated along one edge with substantially elongated rectangular holes; said combs substantially have a cylindrical shape formed by a strip-like portion, at the edge whereof there protrude tabs which are arranged in a comb-like fashion and can be inserted in the holes, in practice by opening out the cylindrical shape of the comb. The tabs are arranged at their free end below the strip-like portion, so as to obtain an element which mutually joins the various sheets of the documents
This solution has the drawback that it has a comb which protrudes with respect to the thickness of the document, so that in many cases it is difficult to position it correctly in a bookshelf or the like.
Moreover, in order to achieve good binding it is necessary that a wide range of combs sizes are available so as to adapt to the different thicknesses of the document.
A problem which is becoming increasingly felt relates to the disposal of the document, since a comb made of plastics is used and accordingly must be separated again from the document when the latter must be discarded
Other conventional solutions achieve binding of documents by means of combs provided with adhesive material which, generally by applying heat, melts at the spine of the documents, thus providing a coupling element.
With respect to the previous solution, this solution has the advantage that it does not produce thicknesses which protrude with respect to the thickness of the document and therefore it allows easier arrangement in a bookshelf and the like, but on the other hand it does not allow to easily modify the composition of the document if required, since removal of the comb is destructive.
Still another problem is constituted by the fact that the coupling that is ensured is often rather weak, so that it is necessary to resort to metal staples or other elements to join the sheets to each other beforehand, thus constituting a hindrance when turning over the pages of the document.